... so he could be in a rock band. Oh, and then he went on to get his GED and eventually graduated from the ivy-league University of Pennsylvania.

And thus fulfilling that new Constitutional requirement that all USA presidents must now have at least one degree from the Ivy League.

OTOH, what law schools did Lincoln and Truman graduate from (Lincoln was a successful lawyer and Truman a county judge before achieving national office)?

Isn't it interesting, though, that the left has ALL of the answers about who on the right is best and worst for the job, but when we on the right start making similar observation of the even more flawed candidates on their side, the response is shoutdowns, bannings and worse?

Perry was very correct in his statement this past weekend (“Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them”).

Perry was very correct in his statement this past weekend (“Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them”).

Mike

See this statement is ignorant, not because it isn't true that political opponents shouldn't dictate the other parties direction, but because it shows that he cares nothing for a large segment of the population.

He is basically saying that instead of compromise and reason, he is going to take his ball, with his friends, and play a game alone.

75%* of politics if currying favor. Whether it be with those that don't agree with you, or with constituents, lobbyists, or interest groups.

*the other 25% is being a doushebag, selfish, and having too much money to relate to the general public.

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams

And thus fulfilling that new Constitutional requirement that all USA presidents must now have at least one degree from the Ivy League.

OTOH, what law schools did Lincoln and Truman graduate from (Lincoln was a successful lawyer and Truman a county judge before achieving national office)?

Mike

I was thinking about this earlier. Other than Truman, the last president not to graduate from college (though he did attend classes at Kansas City Law School), the men most recently elected president have been graduates of West Point, The Naval Academy, Stanford, Harvard, Duke, Yale, and Columbia, along with Southwest Texas State Teachers College, and Eureka.

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Priceless. But it does give me hope that if she were ever to win the presidency, at least we would only have to put up with her for two years. Hoping, of course, that she picked a good VP candfidate to finish out her term.

Ah summer in Alaska! The mosquitoes the size of Piper Cubs, ravenous bears out of hibernation, and of course let us not forget the smell of thousands of dead, rotten salmon after the spawn. Oh, how I remember it well. I can see why she wants to hurry home to Wasilla.

"I am very good at reading women, but I get into trouble for using the Braille method."

OTOH, what law schools did Lincoln and Truman graduate from (Lincoln was a successful lawyer and Truman a county judge before achieving national office)?

Isn't it interesting, though, that the left has ALL of the answers about who on the right is best and worst for the job, but when we on the right start making similar observation of the even more flawed candidates on their side, the response is shoutdowns, bannings and worse?

Perry was very correct in his statement this past weekend (“Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them”).

Mike

In 2003/2004 the right has ALL of the answers about who on the right is best and worst for the job, but when we on the left start making similar observation of the even more flawed candidates on their side, the response is shoutdowns, bannings and worse?

Okay, I will bite, when was the last time the Right tried to curry favor with the left?

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less" General Eric Shinseki

And thus fulfilling that new Constitutional requirement that all USA presidents must now have at least one degree from the Ivy League.

OTOH, what law schools did Lincoln and Truman graduate from (Lincoln was a successful lawyer and Truman a county judge before achieving national office)?

Isn't it interesting, though, that the left has ALL of the answers about who on the right is best and worst for the job, but when we on the right start making similar observation of the even more flawed candidates on their side, the response is shoutdowns, bannings and worse?

Perry was very correct in his statement this past weekend (“Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them”).

Mike

This is pretty much why I avoid talking to die-hard republiconservatives lately. Black and white, us against them. I have some family members who make everything into this sort of a discussion- too much cable news I suspect. Pass the salt at thanksgiving dinner becomes "Obama and the left are trying to ban salt!!!!!!" There is a large segment of America that is not really left or right but quite moderate. Not being gung-ho pro-everything republicans every do does not make someone a lefty. Not being gung-ho pro-Obama does not make one a righty. And most people in this country are not interested in making everything into an us versus them, left versus right issue. I saddens me greatly that there is a contigent of people out there who buy into the media and political elite making everything into an us versus them, left versus right, polarize America. Rick Perry's statements, like that of many on the GOP side of late blaming everything on "the left!". Santorum recently blamed poor history scores of high school kids as completely the fault of "the left". The rabid partisans like yourself I'm sure eat that language right up, but it does the national discourse a huge disservice.

In 2003/2004 the right has ALL of the answers about who on the right is best and worst for the job, but when we on the left start making similar observation of the even more flawed candidates on their side, the response is shoutdowns, bannings and worse?

Okay, I will bite, when was the last time the Right tried to curry favor with the left?

Moderator note:

I feel like the Mod Squad needs to chime in here. I can tell you, unequivocally, that the political opinions of a poster never play a roll in moderator action on this website. We rely 100% on the rules. This means that even when our personal political opinions make us was to shout "hell yeah" right along with them or "you f***ing partisan moron" in response to them, we set those feelings aside and evaluate the nature of the post and whether it violates our rules. We have suspended or banned plenty of people on both sides over the years. We do our best to give as much space and benefit of the doubt as possible, particularly in political threads, but these days it seems the political threads is where we see the discourse most frequently turn to personal attacks on fellow posters, flaming and trolling.

SR

Last edited by Suburb Repairman; 23 Jun 2011 at 11:59 AM.

"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

I feel like the Mod Squad needs to chime in here. I can tell you, unequivocally, that the political opinions of a poster never play a roll in moderator action on this website. We rely 100% on the rules. This means that even when our personal political opinions make us was to shout "hell yeah" right along with them or "you f***ing partisan moron" in response to them, we set those feelings aside and evaluate the nature of the post and whether it violates our rules. We have suspended or banned plenty of people on both sides over the years. We do our best to give as much space and benefit of the doubt as possible, particularly in political threads, but these days it seems the political threads is where we see the discourse most frequently turn to personal attacks on fellow posters, flaming and trolling.

SR

I wasn't referring so much to Cyburbia in that statement, as it is much more fair than others, but there were some other somewhat major on-line forvms, including a couple that I followed, where if you even whispered the slightest concern about one side's candidate, it was immediate banhammer time - there was no tolerance for any dissent at all. I also felt a chill attitude in a couple of others that I still do frequent.

Saw an interesting tidbit. Seems that a batch of campaign literature was printed by Jon Huntsman's folks.....spelling his name as "John".

Ber

Also, when his website first went live, it had a generic street address (1234 Main Street) and generic phone number for the campaign headquarters (123-456-7890). Some columnist pointed out that he got his name, address, and phone number wrong like a kid on their first day of school.

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Also, when his website first went live, it had a generic street address (1234 Main Street) and generic phone number for the campaign headquarters (123-456-7890). Some columnist pointed out that he got his name, address, and phone number wrong like a kid on their first day of school.

Well he just lost out on 400 points of the SATs....

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams

Also, when his website first went live, it had a generic street address (1234 Main Street) and generic phone number for the campaign headquarters (123-456-7890). Some columnist pointed out that he got his name, address, and phone number wrong like a kid on their first day of school.

Well he never graduated high school so maybe he never learned these things....

As The Bear Sees It

Early July, 2011, a little more than a year before the next election for President of the United States. Here's how this Bear sees it at this juncture.....

Barack Obama - Unlikely to win unless the economy gets much better OR Republican's self-destruct because of their extreme candidate(s).
Tim Pawlenty - Too meek. Needs to up his Man Card status.
Sarah Palin - Probably not going to run and would not do well.
Jon Hunstman - Who?
Newt Gingrich - Too much bad juju in the closet.
Others (except Michelle Bachman) - Also rans.

Michelle Bachman - Bat shit crazy. This fundamentalist beauty scare the hell out of me. Look for her to fade after she (probably) wins in Iowa. I hope she fades.....I don't want to spend my years living in the United States of Iran-like fundamentalism.

Mitt Romney - Even with all his backsliding his moderation would sit well with traditional Rs and with Ds no longer interested in a second Barack Obama term.

Bear, overall, I'd say that's a pretty accurate assessment and I agree with pretty much everything you said. Although right now, it still seems like Barack Obama could win. His poll numbers have never really been that bad and he's still an overall very likeable and charismatic guy. He should not win re-election though, with the way the economy has been (mis)handled. But still, everyone seems to like him for some reason. It's bizarre. Mitt Romney needs to continue to work on his image and present himself as more likable and continue to tout himself as a problem-solver and effective leader that can get stuff done and is above the political fray.

In my view what is going to kill each of them in the general election:

Barack Obama - Economy. Inability to solidify his base or the independents.Tim Pawlenty - Middle of the road on everything. Isn't very "presidential".Sarah Palin - Will never get anyone but the crazy right. Even the rational right don't like her.Jon Hunstman - Name recognition and his ties to Obama.Newt Gingrich - Baggage and his ties to the establishment. Which seems to be a bad thing these days.Michelle Bachman - Her hard right views on social issues, and the fact that she is Sarah Palin lite. A strong voice, with little to back it up. She is backing up on some of her topics, but in general she is too polarizing.Mitt Romney - Mass. Governorship history. Religion. And his odd take on topics.Herman Cain - This type of stuff... http://www.politico.com/blogs/politi...n_mosques.html

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams